Toe elevating apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for selectively elevating the toes of the human foot for facilitating the cutting and manicuring of toenails. The apparatus consists of a substantially flat foot support member having an upper surface upon which the foot may be placed. A toe pedestal extends from the foot support surface and is of such a dimension as to elevate one toe upon the placing of the foot upon the support surface with a toe placed upon the upper end of the pedestal. Toe retaining means in the form of a special configuration of the upper end of the pedestal is used to aid in locating and maintaining the toe thereupon.

Merriman Mar. 11, 1975 TOE ELEVATING APPARATUS [76] Inventor: Henry H. Merriman, 751 W.

Washington, Jackson, Mich. 49203 22 Filed: Nov. 9, 1973 211 App]. No.: 414,504

[52] U.S. Cl. 132/73 [51] Int. Cl A45d 29/00 [58] Field of Search 132/73, 73.5, 73.6; 46/30, 46/26; 272/57 D; 119/23; 312/233; 297/170,

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 553,254 6/1932 Germany 46/26 Primary Examiner-G. E. McNeil] Attorney, Agent, or FirmBeaman & Beaman [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for selectively elevating the toes of the human foot for facilitating the cutting and manicuring of toenails. The apparatus consists of a substantially flat foot support member having an upper surface upon which the foot may be placed. A toe pedestal extends from the foot support surface and is of such a dimension as to elevate one toe upon the placing of the foot upon the support surface with a toe placed upon the upper end of the pedestal. Toe retaining means in the form of a special configuration of the upper end of the pedestal is used to aid in locating and maintaining the toe thereupon.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures TOE ELEVATING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention pertains to the field of supporting means for portions of the human foot, particularly the toes, for separating and elevating a toe for nail clipping and manicuring purposes.

Normally, the periodic manicuring of toenails is readily accomplished by using a cutting instrument,.

such as scissors or a clipper, and one hand normally holds and operates the cutting instrument, while the other hand is used to support and separate the toe being manicured from the adjacent toes. However, the infirm and elderly often experience considerable difficulty in attempting to trim their own toenails due to lack of agility, lack of steadiness of foot or hand, arthritis or other reasons, and this task must often be accomplished by others for such people.

To my knowledge, no apparatus is available for aiding the infirm and elderly for the purpose of permitting such to perform toenail cutting operations on themselves, and the present invention seeks to overcome this personal care problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide apparatus for aiding in the cutting and manicuring of toenails wherein the infirm and aged may perform this task where previously they were unable because of difficulty in maintaining the foot steady, and simultaneously separating the toes for access by the nail trimming instrument.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and economical toe elevating apparatus which permits a selected toe to be separated and elevated from the adjacent toes merely by placing the foot upon a supporting surface of the apparatus. A toe elevating pedestal having an upper outer end which engages the toe to be elevated extends from the supporting surface, and maintains the toe in an elevated and stationary position while the foot is firmly placed upon the foot supporting surface of the apparatus.

In the practice of the invention the foot support may be in the form of a generally flat plate-like member having an upper surface. A toe elevating pedestal, which may be in the form of a cylindrical member of substantially one half inch in diameter, extends perpendicularly from the surface of the plate and has an outer end provided with a rim and recess which engages the underside of the toe to be elevated, and the rim and recess aid in maintaining the toe in place upon the pedestal while the foot is supported upon the plate surface. The height of the pedestal is such as to sufficiently elevate the toe supported thereon from the adjacent toes to provide ready access for nail cutting and manicuring purposes. However, the height of the pedestal is not such as to raise the toe uncomfortably high.

The apparatus of the invention, in its most economical construction, may be formed simply of a portion of sheet material, such as solid wood, plywood,- particle board, masonite, or other economical material. The pedestal may be formed of a wooden dowel received within a hole defined in the sheet material. Further, the apparatus may be molded of a synthetic material such as plastic, or may be formed of rubber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The aforementioned objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. I is a perspective view of toe elevating apparatus in accord with the invention,

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the apparatus in use wherein a human foot has been placed thereon, and a toe is illustrated in the elevated position,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail, elevational, sectional view taken along section III-III of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is an elevational view illustrating a plurality of toe elevating apparati in accord with the invention as stacked for shipping purposes, and

FIG. 5 is an elevational, sectional view of toe elevating apparatus in accord with the invention formed by a molding process.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 4 the most simplified and economical form of the invention is illustrated. The invention includes a foot support member 10 which comprises a generally flat, plate-like member formed of particle board, plywood, masonite, or the like, which is of a rectangular configuration having longitudinal edges 12, and end edges 14. In one form of the invention the foot support member is approximately 3 /2 inches wide, and approximately I 1 inches in length. The member 10 includes an upper foot supporting surface 16, and indicia, decorations, instructions, or the like, may be placed upon this surface.

The support member 10 is provided with a hole 18 having an axis perpendicularly disposed to the general plane of the support member, and receives a toe elevating pedestal 20, which may comprise a wood dowel which extends approximately 1 inch above the surface 16. The upper end 22 of the pedestal 20 is formed with an annular rim 24, FIG. 3, circumscribing a recess 26 concentric to the dowel axis. It will be noted that pedestal 20 is located substantially centrally on the support member 10 between edges 12, and is located relatively close to the left edge 14, FIG. I.

A hole 28 is defined through the support member 10 intersecting the surface 16, and is of a diameter slightly larger than the pedestal 20. By making the diameter of the hole 28 slightly larger than the pedestal a plurality of toe elevating devices of the type shown in FIG. 1 may be stacked or layered as shown in FIG. 4 for shipping purposes. Also, the hole 28 may be used to hang the foot support member from a wall mounted support.

In use, the foot is placed upon the support surface 16, and is located thereon such that the toe to be manicured engages the upper end 22 of the pedestal. Upon the foot being firmly placed upon the support 10 the toe engaging the upper end of the pedestal will be elevated with respect to the adjacent toes as apparent in FIG. 2, and is accessible for manicuring. By relocating the foot upon the surface 16 each toe may be sequentially placed upon the pedestal 20, and manicured.

The recess 26, and rim 24, are effective to prevent the engaged toe from slipping from the upper end of the pedestal, and the recess 26 may help in creation of a suction which aids in holding the toe in place upon the pedestal.

In FIG. 5 an embodiment of the invention is illustrated which may be molded of a synthetic material, rubber, or the like. In this figure the support member 30 is of a planar configuration, and the pedestal 32 is homogeneous with the support member and extend therefrom. The annular rim 34 is of the Configuration illustrated, and a recess 36 is defined in the upper end of the pedestal to aid in retaining the toe thereon. The

embodiment of FIG. 5 is used in a manner identical to that of the previously disclosed embodiment.

It is appreciated that various modifications to the inventive concept may be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

I claim:

1. Toe elevating apparatus particularly suitable for use during the cutting and manicuring of toenails comprising, in combination, a foot support having a surface upon which the foot may be supported, and a toe elevating pedestal mounted upon said foot support extending from said surface, said pedestal being of a width sufficient to support only a single toe at a time.

2. In toe elevating apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said pedestal includes an outer end spaced from said surface and toe retaining means defined on said outer end.

3. In toe elevating apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said toe retaining means comprise an annular rim defined on said outer end and a recess defined in said outer end circumscribed by said rim.

4. In toe elevating apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said foot support comprises a substantially flat membet.

5. In toe elevating apparatus as in claim 4 wherein said toe elevating pedestal comprises a cylindrical member having a substantially uniform diameter.

6. In toe elevating apparatus as in claim 5, a hole defined in said flat member extending therethrough and intersecting said surface, said hole having a diameter larger than the diameter of said cylindrical pedestal 

1. Toe elevating apparatus particularly suitable for use during the cutting and manicuring of toenails comprising, in combination, a foot support having a surface upon which the foot may be supported, and a toe elevating pedestal mounted upon said foot support extending from said surface, said pedestal being of a width sufficient to support only a single toe at a time.
 1. Toe elevating apparatus particularly suitable for use during the cutting and manicuring of toenails comprising, in combination, a foot support having a surface upon which the foot may be supported, and a toe elevating pedestal mounted upon said foot support extending from said surface, said pedestal being of a width sufficient to support only a single toe at a time.
 2. In toe elevating apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said pedestal includes an outer end spaced from said surface and toe retaining means defined on said outer end.
 3. In toe elevating apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said toe retaining means comprise an annular rim defined on said outer end and a recess defined in said outer end circumscribed by said rim.
 4. In toe elevating apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said foot support comprises a substantially flat member.
 5. In toe elevating apparatus as in claim 4 wherein said toe elevating pedestal comprises a cylindrical member having a substantially uniform diameter. 